It's You!
Aaron rested on the edge of his bed as Sebastian mended his wrist. The merman had explained that it was fractured in two places due to the king's tight hold. This information frightened the prince. With just one hand the king was strong enough to wound him as he had without truly trying. After Sebastian had explained the problem, he walked the tentative prince through each step he was going to use to bandage him. It was calming enough for the boy to allow the guard complete access, though he was unsure as to why he was being cared for at all.
"Why?" the prince finally asked when the guard fell silent.
"I apologize, but I do not understand your question. Could you elaborate, please?"
Aaron nodded, "Why use bandages on such a minor wound?" Uriah had never taken the time to patch him up if he was punished. It confused the prince as to why the guard would tend to a wound that could heal on its own.
Sebastian resisted any emotion, knowing that it would be tinted with sadness no matter how he tried to mask it, "I am tending to your wrist so you will not be in pain. What King Triton did to you was uncalled for, but I am no better seeing as I did not stop him before he harmed you and for that I apologize."
"There is no need," the prince scolded gently, his voice barely loud enough to hear, "You have already offered your words of condolence and I have accepted them. I do not blame you."
The guard beamed with pride. As broken as they boy had become he had retained his kind heart through everything. "May I offer up an adventure to pass the day?"
No mask could put a dent on the intrigue in the boy's eyes, though he didn't answer aside from looking deep into Sebastian's gaze.
"I did not intent to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help noticing your interest in the princesses' talk of the surface." Aaron's eyes widened excitedly as the merman continued, "I happen to be in contact with the ruler of the surface if you would like to meet her. It, of course, is completely your choice."
Gasping, the boy didn't waste a second to nod as he quickly rose from his bed with all of the enthusiasm of a child. Sebastian smiled at the boy's reaction before gesturing for him to follow. They twisted through halls and doors, passing several surprised expressions on the way, though they paid them no mind. It wasn't until they hit open sea that Aaron's thoughts began to buzz with an eager delight; two of many recent emotions he had existed so long without.
Bursting into the open air above the water, the prince's eyes were alight with captivated wonder. Sebastian laughed a bit as Aaron shot him an unfiltered smile in the midst of his darting attention. The guard guided the boy to the shallows where they had first come after the deal, though Aaron didn't seem to notice if he recalled that fact at all.
As the boy studied his surroundings, Sebastian set to work at keeping to his word. "Scuttle!" he shouted loudly, slightly startling the prince.
It took some time, but after a few more calls and multiple disbelieving glances from his charge, their eyes fell on an approaching figure in the sky that swooped down to land on a rock close-by them. The bird hopped a bit, "Hello, Sebastian," the seagull greeted before turning to the prince who eyes him wearily, "Who's your friend? He's a mite familiar."
"I will explain everything in a moment, but could I possibly ask that you retrieve Princess Emily for me before I do so? It would be repetitive to tell our story twice, you see."
"Ah, you and you're big words. Hold on and I'll get her," the bird announced jokingly as he lifted into the air and headed toward the large castle.
The guard then turned to the prince, "That was Scuttle. He is what the humans call a 'bird'," he explained, fighting the ache of deja-vu as the boy soaked up every word, "I have asked him to bring the princess who rules this area, but I wish to warn you now that she may be a bit excited by your presence. The two of you were once friends and though you may not remember, she has never forgotten."
Aaron nodded slowly, "I understand," he said softly.
Sebastian smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a distant call that gained both mermen's attention.
"Hey, slow down, you useless bird!" a breathless voice ordered, "How am I supposed to follow you when you cheat like that?" A figure running along the land got closer when it must have noticed them. "Sebastian!" it called excitedly, "Welcome back! It's been far too long." The human slowed down to a walk when she got close to the water, but decided sitting would be a better option as her breath became panting. "So…" she gasped, once she was able to rest, "What brings you the human domain?"
"Are you quite alright?" the guard asked cautiously.
The girl raised a brow, "Quite," she mocked lightheartedly as her head tilted back towards the sky, "Now, what's up?"
Sebastian chuckled lightly, "I do believe you are missing something, your highness. The answer to your question is in plain sight."
The girl sighed before looking the merman in the eye with a playful frown, "It's Emily, Sebastian. I've told you far too many times to stop calling…me…" he voice trailed off as her eyes drifted to a movement behind her friend where another merman was floating, casting glances at anything and everything around him. Just as he had the first time she had met him. "Aaron…?" she gasped.
In response to his name, the prince caught sight of the princess' gaze. A hint of memory played at the back of his mind, but the faces did not match; this one had aged in comparison to the one he remembered. He resisted the urge to shift awkwardly at the intensity of her stare. At least until the girl's mind seemed to catch up with her eyes.
"Aaron!" she shouted, jumping off of the ground and darting into the water to embrace him tightly, "I have missed you so much! Are you alight? Where have you been?" she asked looking him over at arm's length before pulling him back into her, "Oh, it doesn't matter, I just so glad you're back!"
At first, the prince was ready to push her away, but to both his surprise and that of his guard, he returned the embrace although it was far more hesitant and unsure than the human's.
It was then that the girl noticed his silence and held him at arm's length yet again, "I thought you got your voice back? Surly he didn't take it again. Can you talk?"
The prince blinked, "Yes, I can speak," he said softly.
Emily smiled brightly and pulled him close yet again, "I had almost forgotten how beautiful your voice is, though it has gotten deeper since last time," she admitted far less excitedly than she had been before, "I have missed you so much."
Unthinkingly, Aaron tightened his hold around her and let a small smile reach his eyes, "I…I have missed you…as well." It was true somehow. He couldn't understand how, but as soon as laid eyes on the human he felt a tug as his heart as if it was calling to her. It was a feeling he vaguely remembered from his past.
After a long while of basking in the other's company, the two heirs pulled away.
"You have changed," Emily noted offhandedly, though it was quickly paired with a smile, "You got hot."
Sebastian sputtered as Scuttle almost fell off of his rock in laughter.
Aaron simply tilted his head, "I do not understand," he admitted.
The human raised her brows in surprise, "What?" she laughed, "You…I was saying you're attractive, nice to look at, grown into an appealing specimen. Should I go on?"
The guard shook his head looking uncomfortable, "No, no that's not necessary."
The prince, however, was unable to answer through his sputters as his cheeks darkened dramatically. This reaction only sent Scuttle and Emily into full laughing fits. Even Sebastian chuckled bemusedly.
Not missing a beat the princess continued, but her voiced had become sullen, "As much as I don't want to know; where have you been for all this time?"
It was no surprise that Aaron remained silent and refused to meet the human's questioning eyes.
"Please, Aaron. I have been so worried. We searched everywhere; I even took boats out as often as I could before I was outvoted by those pompous council-men."
Sebastian's hand acted on its own as it rested gently on the boy's shoulder. Meeting those blue eyes, the guard nodded towards Emily as if supporting the girl's pleading.
Sighing, Aaron looked into the human's gaze before taking a deep breath. "I…I have been with…Uriah," he announced awkwardly. He knew he was to call the creature 'master' but saying that in front of the princess was suddenly extremely undesirable.
Emily blinked, "You have been with that monster for almost nine years?" It wasn't much of a question, but the boy answered with a nod nonetheless. The princess abruptly threw herself into Aaron's arms careless of her soaked dress. "I'm so sorry, Aaron," she cried, "It's all my fault."
The prince tilted his head as he held the girl close, "How?"
"If I had just tried harder, perhaps I could have convinced my people sooner, I could have gathered the merfolk, or done more to persuade your father. Anything would have been better than just letting you go without the amount of effort I should have been putting out."
"No," Aaron said firmly, pulling away just enough to meet the human's red-rimmed eyes, "I do not blame you. The fault belongs to the king too blinded by hate to see reason," he lowered his voice to a whisper, he tightly embraced the girl, "I do not blame you."
A moment of somber silence passed only broken by Emily's sudden ghost of laughter. "How could you have been hidden away by such a creature and yet keep your amazing personality? I'm not complaining though, your kind voice has been absent in my life for far too long."
They finally broke apart each sporting a smile that could have easily outshined the sun, but it was then that Scuttle re-announced his presence. "It's getting late. We should probably get going before things get too dark."
"I agree," Sebastian offered, "We can gather again in the morning, but for now we should return before the search parties are sent out."
"'Lot of good they'll do," Emily muttered bitterly, "All those guards and they still couldn't find you."
Aaron cast her a small smile, "It is not entirely their doing. Uriah has the ability to see happenings through a viewing portal. On any occasion that would warrant being found, he would simply teleport the cavern to a different, more secure location." Only then did it occur to the boy that perhaps his master didn't want that information disclosed, but the thought was fleeting.
"Cavern? He lives in a cavern? You've been stuck in a bunch of caves for over eight years?" the princess gaped, "You're going to have to fill me in on the blanks tomorrow, but…wow."
The prince blinked, not understanding her strange way of talking, but somehow he could follow her expressions clearly enough, "Then I bid you farewell until morning, princess."
She smiled warmly, "Call me Emily. Goodnight, Aaron."
"Goodnight, Emily."